Where our numbers come from

This page explains the values on the nibbs.io website: the dish, calories burned and restaurant pages. Each dish value is a typical estimate for one common serving, built from standard recipes, local portion sizes and national food composition tables. The Nibbs app works differently: it estimates your own meal from your photo or description, as the last sections explain.

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What a dish value means

A dish page shows calories, protein, carbs and fat for one typical serving, such as one hawker plate, one bowl or one piece. The serving line gives its weight. For example, the nasi lemak value is for one plate with egg, sambal, ikan bilis and peanuts, about 300 g.

The range shows where most servings fall. A small packet from a stall and a large plate with fried chicken can differ by hundreds of calories, so the range matters as much as the single number.

Calories are rounded to the nearest 10 kcal. Macros are in whole grams. Protein and carbs give 4 kcal per gram and fat gives 9 kcal per gram, so the macros add up to within about 10% of the calories.

How we build dish values

  1. Define the serving

    We describe the portion people usually get in that country, such as one hawker plate, one bowl or one piece, and give its weight in grams.

  2. Find the closest published data

    We look for the same dish in the national food composition table of its home country first. If that table has no entry, we use the closest dish in another national table or in USDA FoodData Central.

  3. Scale it to the serving

    Most tables give values per 100 g. We multiply them by the weight of our serving.

  4. Build from the recipe when there is no record

    For a dish without a published record, we add up a standard recipe: the rice or noodles, the meat, the oil, the coconut milk and the sugar.

  5. Check, correct and round

    We compare the value with other sources. If it differs from the best source by more than about 15% for the same serving, we correct it. Calories are rounded to the nearest 10 kcal.

Sources we use

We prefer national food composition tables and government health bodies, then university and hospital dietitians. We do not use blogs, recipe sites or other calorie apps as sources. For a few dishes, we also checked a peer-reviewed lab study or a restaurant chain's own nutrition information, as supporting evidence only. Each dish page lists the sources for that dish at the bottom of the page.

Malaysia

Singapore

Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam

Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea

India

Generic dishes and ingredients

Exercise

How the calories burned pages work

The calories burned pages use MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. A MET is a measure of how hard an activity is. One MET is about the energy you use when you sit quietly, which the Compendium sets at 1 kcal per kg of body weight per hour.

The formula

kcal = (MET − 1) × body weight (kg) × hours

Example: brisk walking at 5.6 to 6.3 km/h has a MET value of 4.8. A 60 kg person who walks briskly for 30 minutes burns about (4.8 − 1) × 60 × 0.5 = 114 kcal.

We take away 1 MET, the energy your body would use at rest in that time anyway, so the result is the extra energy the activity burns. The Nibbs app does the same when it estimates a logged workout. The Compendium gives average values for adults aged 19 to 59. Its authors note that it was not made to give the exact energy cost of an activity for one person.

How the restaurant pages work

The restaurant pages use each chain's own published nutrition information, not our estimates. Chains change their menus and recipes, so the chain's own website has the latest values.

How the app estimates your own plate

The app does not use the values on this website. In the Nibbs app, you take a photo of your meal, and Nibbs estimates it with AI: it names each item, estimates the portion and counts calories, protein, carbs and fat for your actual plate. Mixed plates such as nasi campur are split into each item.

You can edit any item and any portion before you save it. You can also type a description, scan a barcode or scan a nutrition label.

Limits of these estimates

  • The same dish changes from cook to cook. Oil, coconut milk, sugar and portion size move the number most.
  • Food composition tables report the average of the samples that a lab tested. Your plate is not that sample.
  • A photo cannot see everything. Oil inside fried rice, sugar in a drink and gravy under the rice are hard to judge.
  • Exercise values are for an average adult. Your age, sex, fitness and body composition change what you really burn.
  • Estimates work best as a guide and for trends over days and weeks, not as an exact count for one meal.

Not medical or dietary advice

The values on this site are general information, not medical or dietary advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or need a special diet, talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian.

Report an error

If a value looks wrong, email support@nibbs.io. Include the page link, the value you think is wrong and a source if you have one. We check each report and update the page when the evidence is clear.

Questions about our numbers

How accurate are the dish values on this site?

Each value is a typical estimate for one common serving, checked against national food composition tables and other published sources. Real dishes vary with the portion, the recipe and the cooking oil, so each dish page also shows a range where most servings fall.

Why does my plate have different calories from the dish page?

The dish page shows one typical serving. Your plate can have more rice, more gravy or a different side. The Nibbs app does not use the dish pages: a photo of your meal gives an estimate for your actual plate, and you can edit any item and portion before you save it.

Where do the calories burned numbers come from?

They use MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the same values as the Nibbs app. The pages show the calories an activity burns above rest: (MET − 1) × body weight in kg × hours. For example, a 60 kg person who walks briskly for 30 minutes burns about (4.8 − 1) × 60 × 0.5 = 114 kcal.

Where do restaurant calories come from?

Restaurant pages use each chain's own published nutrition information. Chains change their menus and recipes, so the chain's own website has the latest values.

How do I report a wrong value?

Email support@nibbs.io with the page link, the value you think is wrong and a source if you have one. We check each report and update the page when the evidence is clear.

Get calories for your own plate

Nibbs is the AI calorie tracker built for Asian food. Take a photo of your meal and get calories and macros in seconds, then edit anything before you save.

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Dish values are typical estimates for one common serving. This page is general information, not medical or dietary advice.